Doheny declares second try for 23rd

Doheny

Matthew A. Doheny is running for Congress again, intent on reversing the result of his 2010 campaign against incumbent Democrat William L. Owens.

The Watertown businessman and registered Republican was the GOP and Independence parties’ candidate in the 23rd Congressional District race in 2010. Owens won by just under 2,000 votes in a three-way race.

Doheny, age 41, is a registered Republican. He has filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission to become a candidate for the district that encompasses parts of northern and Central New York, which includes all or parts of eight of Oneida County’s 26 towns.

A rematch with Owens is not necessarily a sure thing because the two men could wind up running in different districts. New York’s congressional districts have to be redrawn in the months ahead to reflect the 2010 Census numbers. New York will lose two seats, leaving the state with 27.

One possible redistricting result is that Watertown, where Doheny lives, and Plattsburgh, where Owens lives, could be put into different districts, ending any chance of a rematch.

The current 23rd is a sprawling district made up of all or parts of 11 counties, including a portion of northern Oneida County. The 23rd covers more than 13,234 land square miles, making it the largest district east of the Mississippi River.

In Oneida County, it includes election districts 1 through 4 in the Town of Lee and all of seven other towns, Ava, Annsville, Boonville, Camden, Florence, Forestport and Vienna. The rest of the county is in the 24th district and represented by Republican Richard Hanna of Barneveld.

"While my campaign may technically start today, I’ve been out listening to residents all over northern and Central New York since last November," Doheny said. "People continue to worry about our country’s lack of forward progress. We need good paying jobs. But President Obama and his allies continue to stifle growth by pushing an agenda that leads to higher taxes and bigger deficits. That just creates more burdens for both average Americans and for our future generations."

Doheny is an investor who managed the distressed assets division of Deutsche Bank — a Fortune 500 company — for eight years. He had an up-close look at why American businesses failed — and gained an expertise in finding ways to turn those troubled companies around, he said. He’s now formed his own investment firm, North Country Capital, to help start-ups create jobs locally. Doheny also helps companies by using his expertise in turnarounds and restructurings, either by sitting on their boards of directors or through consulting.

Doheny said he believes Congress needs "more businessmen who understand how our economy works and how we can reverse the current crisis of confidence that Americans feel." He said he will put the knowledge gained from his private sector career into a pro-growth plan that will create incentives for businesses to get back in the game. "That plan will get our economy — and this great nation — moving in the right direction."

He also said that Washington does not have a revenue problem. It has a spending problem. Doheny will be proposing reforms that ensure Washington will continue to provide a social safety net, but one that is within the country’s means and does not "defer problems and put the burdens on generations to come."

Raised in Alexandria Bay, Doheny is a graduate of Allegheny College and received his law degree at Cornell University. After practicing law in Syracuse, he jumped into the business world. At Deutsche Bank, he managed more than 130 individuals while helping purchase large troubled companies and restructure them. In 2008, he joined Fintech Advisory, a money management firm. He left Fintech in 2010 and started his own business, North Country Capital, which is based in Watertown and primarily serves northern and Central New York. He also teaches a finance class at Clarkson University.

Besides Oneida, the district is made us of all or part of Clinton, Essex (part), Franklin, Fulton (part), Hamilton, Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego, Madison and St. Lawrence counties.